'Step across this line' is art that explores borders, lives and histories
Wednesday, August 20, 2025
Media Contact: Amy Juarez | OSU Museum of Art Marketing and Communications | 405-744-2780 | museum@okstate.edu
“Step across this line” will open Sept. 2 at the Oklahoma State University Museum of Art.
Discussions surrounding borders have become increasingly prominent in recent years. “Step across this line” challenges visitors to rethink the meaning of borders through art, how they divide people, cultures and lands. What happens when someone steps across them?
Curated by Karen Greenwalt, assistant professor of art history at OSU, the exhibition features a diverse range of mediums, including photography, painting, printmaking and video. Greenwalt, whose research focuses on global contemporary art, brings a critical lens to how art reflects, challenges, and reimagines our understanding of migration.
By bringing together perspectives from around the world, Greenwalt invites viewers to engage with the realities of people from diverse backgrounds, regions and experiences. The exhibition does not offer simple answers, but instead, presents varied artistic responses that encourage close examination and deeper thinking. Through this lens, borders are not just lines; they are personal, political and historical forces that continue to shape our world.
“‘Step across this line’ engages with such journeys, offering powerful meditations on transformation, displacement and resilience,” Greenwalt said. “This exhibition encourages viewers to reflect on their relationship to borders. It invites you to step across the line and be transformed.”
“Step across this line” will be on view from Sept. 2 - Nov. 8, with a reception on Sept. 4 from 5-6:30 p.m. at the OSU Museum of Art.
Learn more about “Step across this line” and other exhibitions at museum.okstate.edu.
Funding for this season is provided by Marilynn and Carl Thoma, Lou Watkins and the OSU Museum of Art Advocates.
